Peppered Ground Venison Jerky

In my teens and 20s, one of my favourite types of store-bought ground meat jerky was peppered beef. Simple, flavourful, a good protein source, just an all around good jerky flavor.

When I got into making jerky using ground meat, obviously I was going to play around with making a homemade jerky based on that old favourite.

After making a peppered ground beef jerky, I moved on to making peppered ground deer jerky.

Homemade venison jerky tastes SO much better than store bought beef jerky.

Just be forewarned - once you get into making your own jerky, you’re going to ruin yourself for the retail stuff!

This peppery venison jerky recipe is a great way to get start.

It’s a very simple recipe, requiring only basic seasonings and jerky making ingredients - things you’ll want to have on hand, as you get into making homemade jerkies.

This original recipe uses two types of ground black pepper - regular grind, and coarse ground. The regular disperses throughout the wild game meat, while the coarse ground gives you additional pops of flavour.

It’s my favorite recipe when I’m looking for that traditional, nostalgic flavour.

Anyway, let’s take a look at what you’ll need to make your own batch of this delicious jerky recipe!

Equipment

There are two specialized pieces of equipment that I use for making ground jerky, beyond basics like spoons, bowls, and measuring cups:

A Food Dehydrator

While you can apparently make homemade jerky in a regular home oven, I’m not a fan of running one for hours on end.

I’ve had food dehydrators before - the basic kinds with no time or temperature controls, - and I’d always been too nervous to try making jerky in them. I need more control over - and knowledge of - the drying process, when meat is concerned.

I’ve since upgraded to a Cosori 6 Tray Food Dehydrator, and LOVE it.

It was only like $200 Canadian, and it’s paid for itself MANY times over, between all the Maple Cinnamon Apple Chips and jerkies I’ve been making!

Think of it this way - The same size of jerky that I tend to make goes for about $4 in a gas station. (Usually more for venison jerky!)

I get about 10-15 strips out of a batch (varying by recipe) - let’s average that out to 12. That’s $48 worth of jerky, for $8 or less. Make 5 batches, that’s your $200 in savings!

Anyway, we’re using a dehydrator a LOT more, now that we have a nice one. Having the control over the temperature really opens up the possibilities.

A Jerky Gun

Also known as a “jerky cannon”, this is basically a food grade caulking gun that you use to pipe out strips of jerky onto your parchment paper.

Mine is the XINQIAO Jerky Gun Food Grade Plastic Beef Jerky Gun Kit . Regular $35 (Canadian) on Amazon, but it had a coupon for something like 25% off, when I purchased it.

Worth every penny, even if I’d paid full price!

I’ve heard of people making jerky by spreading the mixture out, flattening it with a rolling pin, then cutting it with a pizza cutter, but to be honest, that sounds fussy.

The very first time I used my jerky gun, I was HOOKED. I had no idea that the jerky making process could be so quick and easy, so it’s definitely my equipment of choice!

I’ve never been one for single-function, special equipment in the kitchen... but I LOVE it.

That said, if you do want to use a rolling pin, I recommend using a Rolling pin with adjustable thickness guides.

Given the importance of meat thickness consistency, this would definitely make things easier - the same way it does for making rolled sugar cookies and such!

Parchment Paper

While people have different methods of piping their jerky onto the racks, I recommend parchment paper. It provides a nice base for the jerky to get started, and it’s easy to flip the strips off to finish drying, once they’ve solidified a bit.

As a note: I wouldn’t recommend using wax paper, as the drying method involves heat. Wax melts, after all!

Ingredients

With only 2 exceptions, the ingredients in this peppered ground venison jerky recipe are super simple - you probably even have them on hand!

As for those last two, they may be specialty, but I use them in pretty much all of my jerky recipes. They’ll definitely get used, if you’re a jerky fan!

Some notes for you:

Lean Ground Venison

Use the freshest, highest quality ground venison you can when making venison jerky. Lean meat will have the best shelf life, as fat can go rancid.

While this recipe is for a pound of meat, it scales really well.

Our food dehydrator can handle 3-4 pounds of ground venison at a time, but I’ll usually mix up a larger batch in a LARGE mixing bowl, and just refrigerate whatever doesn’t fit, for a second - or third! - batch.

If you want to make your own ground venison, trim some venison, rough chop it, and run through a food processor or meat grinder until well broken down.

Finally, if you want to make elk jerky, feel free to use the same amount of lean ground elk. For that matter, you can substitute beef, or whatever type of meat you prefer!

Soy Sauce, or Soy-Adjacent Sauce

I developed this peppered ground venison jerky recipe using Coconut Aminos, which is what I use for myself - it’s gluten free and paleo/AIP friendly.

Tamari is another gluten free option (USUALLY GF, anyway!), or you could use plain old Soy Sauce.

I do find regular soy sauce to be saltier than Coconut Aminos, though. For best results, I recommend using low sodium soy sauce, if possible - otherwise, you might want to cut back the salt (regular, NOT the curing salt) amount.

Whichever you use, it brings some umami - savory flavor - to the ground venison jerky.

Prague Powder

Prague Powder is one of a few different curing salts out on the market. It’s not something you’ll normally cook with, but it’ll last a long time - a little goes a long way!

I use Prague Powder #1 Cure. Beyond jerkies, I also use it for my Montreal Smoked Meat Recipe, Back Bacon Recipe, Homemade Corned Beef Recipe, and Peameal Bacon Recipe.

This is a bright pink curing salt that’s a mixture of salt and sodium nitrite. It’s commonly used in cured meats - like pepperoni or summer sausages - and is what gives the jerky its characteristic red colour.

Beyond aesthetics, it also contributes to giving dehydrated meat that iconic jerky flavor, AND helps ensure that your homemade meat snack will be good to eat for a long time. It does this by preventing the growth of bacteria, during and after the drying process.

A couple of things to note:

1. Prague Powder is pink, but it is NOT the same thing as Himalayan pink salt!

2. Prague cure is only to be used in small amounts for curing meats, and should never be consumed as-is. The measurements are important - if you want a saltier pepper ground venison jerky, add some regular salt, rather than increasing the curing salt.

Liquid Smoke

As with all of my jerkies, you’ll need some Liquid Smoke - a little goes a lot way!

I only use a small amount in this peppered venison jerky recipe, to give it a traditional “jerky” flavour - it’s not at all overpowering, just an accent.

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Brown Sugar, packed
Ground Black Pepper
Coarse Ground Black Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Salt

... as always, I don’t really have anything to add, when it comes to these last few ingredients!

How to Make Peppered Ground Venison Jerky

The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, here is the pictorial walk through:

Cut 2 or 3 squares of parchment paper slightly smaller than your dehydrator trays, set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl - using freshly washed or gloved hands - combine ingredients well. REALLY well - for best results, it’s better to over handle it, than to under-mix it.

You want to make sure that the liquid ingredients are really worked in well - mixing is the most important step leading up to the drying process!

Use a spoon to load the meat mixture into a jerky gun, taking care to avoid creating air bubbles.

Line your dehydrator racks with the cut parchment paper, then pipe long strips out onto them, leaving some space in between each. Aim for consistent strips, both in length and thickness.

Once two hours has passed, use a paper towel to blot any excess fat that may be beading top of the meat of the jerky strips.

Remove the jerky strips from the piece of parchment paper, flip them over, and place them directly onto the wire rack. Personally, I’ll just flip the whole sheet of parchment, and peel it back off the venison jerky strips.

If there’s any beaded fat on the second side, blot that surface area with paper towels as well.

Return the jerky racks to the dehydrator and continue dehydrating at 165 F for another 2 - 3 hours. (Actual time will depend on the thickness of the ground venison strips.)

To test for doneness, remove a piece of ground venison jerky from the dehydrator and let it cool to room temperature. The finished product should feel dry to the touch and be able to bend to 90 degrees without breaking. (A bit of cracking or crackling is ok!)

Peppered Ground Venison Jerky Storage

Allow jerky to cool COMPLETELY to room temperature before packaging.

Ground venison jerky will keep at room temperature (in a cool dark place) for a week or so, or a few weeks in the fridge.

For anything over a few weeks, we like to vacuum seal.

If sealed into an airtight container WITHOUT OXYGEN, it should be good for a month or so in a cool dark place, a couple months in the fridge, and 6 months or so in the freezer.

Once you open your vacuum sealed bag of ground deer jerky, it should be eaten within a couple days - or a few weeks, if put in the fridge after opening.

Other Venison Jerky Recipes

Looking for more deer jerky recipes? Here are a few of my favorite jerky recipes to get started:

Basic Ground Venison Jerky Recipe
Basic Venison Jerky Recipe
Jalapeno Ground Venison Jerky Recipe
Sweet & Spicy Ground Venison Jerky Recipe

Be sure to check out the full list of ALL of our Jerky Recipes, too!